Method of making ball and socket joints



Dec. 4, 1928. 1,693,748

w. J. FIEGEL ET AL METHOD OF MAKING BALL- AND SOCKET JOINTS Filed Jan.24, 1927 jfl @f. 2 J9 J5 (2 c k 17 041%? 15 u M I! W If a! 12 12 u j ifu W I \"3 1] M /ga Z1 7- I 6 1% I wuentop 1467/2627? J. fiegd Mh/ie/ai[nd ra'ek x4 WW MM {0% Q8 flmm ii Patented Dec. 4, 1928.

v 1,693,748 UNITED STATES PATENTTOFFICE;

WILLIAM J. FIEGEL AND WINFIEIJD ENDERICK, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A SSIGNORS i I TO BOIIN ALUMINUM AND BRASS CORPORATION, OF DETROIT,MICHIGAN, A COR- PORATION OF MICHIGAN.

METHOD OF MAKING BALL AND SOCKET JOINTS.

Application filed January 24, 1927. .Se'rial No. 163,271.

This invention relates to the method of making ball and socket jointsand has as one of its primary objects to simplify and reduce the cost ofmanufacturing devices of this character and to improve the character ofthe articles produced.

The novel steps of the method as well as the sequence of the severalsteps and the ad vantages resulting from the present 1nven-- tion willbe made more apparent as this description proceeds, especiallyrwhenconsulered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: I

Figure 1 is asectional view of a length of tubing employed in producingthe shell.

Figure 2 is a sectional view showing the shell.

Figure 3 is a sectional view showing the shell after being babbitted.

Figure 4 is a view showing the babbitted shell after the babbitt hasbeen initiallly shaped.

Figure 5 is a sectional view showing the manner of introducing the ballinto the shell.

Figure 6 is a sectional View showing the manner in which the end of theshell' is closed-in.

Figure 7 is a sectional view of the article after the end of the shellis closed-in, and

Figure 8 is a sectional view of the complcted article.

In practicing our improved method a piece of tubing 10 formed of steelor other suitable metal isfirst bored and turned down on the outside toform a shell 11 such as illustrated in Figure 2 provided with a flaredend 12 and an inner roughened surface 13. The shell is faced to lengthand then tinned and babbitted to provide a layer of babbitt 14 asillustrated in Figure 3.

The babbitt 14 is then formed or shaped by suitable forming tools toprovide a substantially concave or hemispherical socket 15 adjacent theend of the shell remote from the flared end 12. A ball 16 in the form ofa frustum of a sphere and herein shown as provided with an axial bore 17is introduced into the shell by means of a special tool 18 provided witha cylindrical extension 19 which enters the bore 17 of the ball. Bymeans of this tool the ball 16 is forced firmly into the socket 15previously formed in the babbitt. The ball and shell is next engaged byan extension 20 of a special tool 21 and forced through a die 22provided with a bore or opening 23 tapering inwardly from the upper tothe lower end thereof and it is preferable that the tapered portion ofthe die terminates in a portion 24 the walls of which are parallel withthe longitudinal axis of the die. In passing through the die 22 theflared end 12 of the shell and the babbitt adjacent thereto is pressedinwardly so as to close-in the open end of the shell so that the outerwall of the shell is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis ofthe bore 17 The condition of the article after the closing-in operationis illustrated in Figure 7 from which it. will be noted that the openend of the shell has been closed-in so as to confine the ball 16 withinthe shell.

After this, the outer surface and both ends of the article are finishedso that the final article is substantially, as illustrated in Fig ure 8of the drawings. The bore 17- of the ball is usually provided withan oilgroove 30.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that i by means of the hereindescribed method it is possible to economically construct ball andsocket joints with expediency and dispatch. Furthermore the severalsteps of the method are few in number and the invention may be practicedin the manufacture of bearings in large uantities.

Whi e for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention the severalsteps of the method have been described in detail and in a certain.sequence, nevertheless it will be apparent to those skilled in this artthat both the character and sequence of the steps of the hereindescribed method may be varied without departing fromthe spirit andscope of this invention and to this end reservation is made to make suchchanges as may come within the purview of the accompanying claims.

What we claim as our invention is 1. In the method of manufacturing balland socket joints, the steps which consist in shaping the, babbitt of ababbitted shell to form a hemispherical recess, introducing a ballintosaid recess and closing-in the end of the recess to confine the balltherein.

2. In the method of manufacturing ball and socket joints the steps whichconsist in babbitting a shell having a flared end shapand pressing inthe flared end to confine said ball.

3. In the method of manufacturing ball and socket joints the steps whichconsist in babbitting a tubular shell, shaping the babbitt to form asocket, introducing a ball into said socket and closing the open end ofsaid socket to confine theball.

A. In the method of manufacturing ball and socket joints the steps whichconsist in babbitting a tubular shell having a flared end, shaping thebabbitt to form a socket, intr0ducing a ball in said socket at the endopposite saldflare and closing-in the flared end to'confine the ball inthe socket.

5. In the method of manufacturing ball and socket joints the steps whichconsist in babbitting a shell flared at one end, shaping the babbitt toform a socket at the end opposite to said flare, pressing aball intosald socket and closing the open end of said socket to confine saidball. v

6. In the method of manufacturing ball and socket joints the steps whichconsist 'in shaping a tubular member to form a tubular shell having aflared end, babbitting said shell, shaping the babbitt to form a socketat the end opposite to said flared end, inserting a ball in said socketand closing-in the flared end to'confine the ball in the socket.

7 In the method of manufacturing ball and socket joints those stepswhich consist in babbitting a flared sleeve-like member, shaping thebabbitt to form a socket, pressing a frustum of a ball having an axialrecess into said socket with the axis of said recess coincident with theaxis of said member and closing-inthe flared end of said member toconfine said ball in said socket.

8. In the method .of manufacturing ball and socket joints the stepswhich consist in shaping a tubular member to form a tubular shell havinga flared end, babbitting said shell, shapin said babbitt to form asubstantially hemis erical socket at the end remote fromsaid are,introducing a ball into said socket and closing-inthe flared end of said7 shell to confine sald ball in said socket.

9. In the method of manufacturing ball and socket joints the steps whichconsist in shaping a tubular member to form a tubular .shell having aflared end, babbitting said shell,

shapin said babbitt to form a substantially hemisp erical socket at theend remote from said flare, introducing a ball into said socket,closing-in the flared end'of said shell to confine said ball in saidsocket and finishing the outer surface and two ends of said shell.

10. In the method of manufacturing ball and socket joints the stepswhich consist in shaping a steel tube to form a tubular shell, having aflared end, tinning and babbitting said shell, boring said babbitt toform a substantially concave socket at the end remote from said flare,introducting a ball into said socket; closing-in the flared end of saidshell to confine said ball in said socket and finishing the outersurface and two ends of said shell.

11. In the method of manufacturing ball and socket joints the stepswhich consisti-n shaping a steel tube to form a tubular shell having aflared end, facing said shell to length, tinning and babbitting saidshell, boring said babbitt to form a substantially concave socket at theend remote from said flare, introducing a ball into said socket,closing-in the flared end of said shell to confine said ball in saidsocket, rough facing the ends of said shell and finishing the outersurface and two ends of said shell.

12. In the method of manufacturing ball and socket joints, those stepswhich consist in shaping a tubular member to form a tubular sleeve likeshell having a flared end, shaping said shell at the end remote fromsaid flare to form a socket, introducing a ball into said socket andclosing in the end of said shell to confine said ball in said socket.

13. In the method of manufacturing ball and socket joints, those stepswhich consist in shaping a tubular member to form a tubular shell havinga flared end, shaping the tubular member at the end remote from said Iflare to form a socket, pressing a frustum of a ball having an axialrecess into said socket with the axes of said recess coincident with theaxes of said member and closing in the flare of said member to confinesaid ball insaid socket.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signa-

